Energy and Economy

 

Russian Strikes Destroy SOCAR Depot in Ukraine

A Russian airstrike on August 18 destroyed an oil depot of Azerbaijan’s state-owned SOCAR in Ukraine’s Odesa region, marking the second such attack in two weeks after a strike on August 8. Ukraine’s foreign minister said that Iran-made Shahed drones caused severe damage, leaving the 16,000-cubic-meter facility inoperative. The strikes follow an August 6 Russian drone attack on a gas compressor station tied to the Trans-Balkan pipeline, which had recently begun transporting U.S. and Azerbaijani gas.

Source: Caspian News

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan Sign Deals to Simplify Border Tax and Customs Procedures

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan signed two memoranda on August 22 to ease tax administration, Kyrgyz State Tax Service head Almambek Shykmamatov announced after the presidential meeting in Bishkek. The first introduces an electronic queue for freight carriers at the border to prevent congestion and simplify oversight for small and medium businesses, while the second establishes GPS-based sealing and tracking of cargo to enhance transparency in tax and customs procedures.

Source: Interfax

Kazakhstan and U.S. Launch Joint Rare Earth Exploration in Kostanai Region

Kazakhstan’s national mining company, Tau-Ken Samruk, and U.S.-based Cove Capital announced joint geological exploration at the Akbulak site in the Kostanai Region. The work will prioritize identifying rare earth elements in the area. According to the press service of Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund, the initiative is part of a strategic partnership between the two companies. The geological work plans to cover 25 sites with a total area of 100,000 square kilometers. In 2024 alone, 38 promising deposits of rwere identified in Kazakhstan.

Source: The Astana Times

Drought Monitoring System for Central Asia

On August 20, a United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) launched a project in Tashkent to monitor droughts in Central Asia. With the first phase budgeted at $300,000, this satellite-based drought monitoring system is designed to reduce crop losses and improve water management. Uzbekistan will pilot the program for 2025-2027, with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan taking over in 2027. By utilizing this system, Tajikistan could potentially save $4 – 6 million. With agriculture accounting for 22 percent of Tajikistan’s GDP and 15 percent of the population living in drought-prone areas, this monitoring system aims to provide citizens better weather forecasts that could preemptively combat drought conditions. 

Source: The Times of Central Asia 

Discussions on Joint Uzbek and Chinese Biotech Firm Agri-Projects

Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, Ilzat Kasimov, met with China’s Xinjiang Huijia Biotechnology to discuss launching joint initiatives in agriculture and biotechnology. Through these joint ventures, the ministry hopes to strengthen Uzbekistan’s stevia and natural sugar substitutes market by adopting modern farming technologies learned from Xinjiang Huijia. 

Source: The Times of Central Asia

Politics and Security

 

Uzbekistan Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan Hold Trilateral Summit

Turkmenistan’s Chairman of the People’s Council Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to visit Turkmenistan on August 22. The meeting took place in the Awaza on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea, a touristic part of the country. The discussions included increased cooperation on trade, energy, transport, and humanitarian affairs. Mirziyoyev emphasized the ongoing construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the recent memoranda signed with Afghanistan and Pakistan on the trans-Afghan corridor. They endorsed development of the Zangezur through Armenia and opportunities for developing joint projects to export renewable energy to Europe. The leaders also discussed cooperation to develop joint hydrocarbon extraction projects in the Caspian Sea. Mirziyoyev suggested the development of a joint roadmap to achieve these initiatives and to hold these meetings on a regular basis.

Source: Daryo

Armenia and Iran Discuss TRIPP

On August 19, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss how Armenia would control the newly announced Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) corridor across southern Armenia. President Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s objection to the United States constructing this corridor along Armenia and Iran’s shared border. Iran’s concerns include not only the potential for growing U.S. hegemonic power but also losing access to Armenian markets for trade. 

Source: Al Jazeera

Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan Bolster Ties

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid an official visit to Kyrgyzstan on 21–22 August, headlined by talks with President Sadyr Japarov and attending a session of the Supreme Interstate Council. The tightly choreographed program blended protocol with public diplomacy: the two leaders inaugurated a “Golden Bridge of Friendship” monument in Bishkek, opened Kazakhstan’s new consulate in Osh, launched a branch of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, and presided over youth and cultural forums. Beyond mere symbolism, their talks focused on translating the 2024 Treaty on Allied Relations into concrete projects, with trade, border facilitation, and energy cooperation – particularly Kazakhstan’s support for Kyrgyzstan’s Kambarata-1 hydropower project – topping the agenda. The visit underscored growing institutional maturity in Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan ties, with leaders emphasizing both symbolic gestures and practical steps to deepen economic, cultural, and regional integration.

Source: Times of Central Asia

King of Jordan to Visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan 

King of Jordan Abdullah II is scheduled to make official state visits to Uzbekistan August 25-26 and Kazakhstan August 26-27. Reportedly on the docket for discussions at these high-level diplomatic talks will be expanding engagement between Amman and these two capitals across the realms of agriculture and food security, education, trade and investment, and transport connectivity. 

Source: The Times of Central Asia